* Part 8 in a series
With the coming of the railroad to western North Carolina came lumber companies, seeking the excellent timber from the forest.
In 1910, the Whiting Manufacturing Company came to Graham County and bought thousands of acres of timber land. Around 1912 Whiting – aided by a $50,000 bond issue from Graham County – graded a railroad bed to connect Robbinsville to the Murphy Branch Railroad (later Southern Railway) at Topton.
Whiting did not complete the railroad bed and in 1922, Bemis Lumber Company purchased the land holdings from Whiting. Bemis then completed the railroad and the first train reached Robbinsville in 1925. Bemis also constructed a large band mill at Milltown and was a main employer for many years in Graham County.
In 1905, the Southern Railway built a rail line from Bushnell to Fontana at the mouth of Eagle Creek, and from Maryville to Chilhowee and almost to the North Carolina state line.
During the 1920s, Kitchen Lumber Company was logging the area around Tapoco and constructed a railroad line to connect its operation with Tallassee Power Company’s railroad at Tapoco. Three branches of the rail line went up Deep Creek, Barker’s Creek and Bear Creek. These lines were of particular interest because of the steep grades. The railroad grades were later converted into logging roads for wagons and then trucks.
In 1910, the Aluminum Company of America began surveys for the development of water power resources on the Little Tennessee River. In North Carolina, the construction of the Cheoah Dam (called Tapoco Dam by locals), and powerhouse was started in 1916 and completed in 1919. This work was carried out by Tallassee Power Company and by its successor Carolina Aluminum Company. The same company then started the construction of Santeetlah Dam in 1925 and completed it in 1928.
The Knoxville Power Company started the Calderwood Dam development in 1928 and completing it in 1930.
The Nantahala Power and Light Company completed the Thorpe Lake development in 1941 and the Nantahala Dam project in 1942.
The Fontana property was deeded to the Tennessee Valley Authority in 1941. Fontana Dam was completed on Nov. 7, 1944 and power put on the line Jan. 2, 1945.
Marshall McClung is the historical columnist for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, mcclungs@email.com.